Some sites aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The kinds of sites where by locals understand how to linger — above coffee, about stories, about existence.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to value time up to length. In any case, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and put, is an element of that motion. His title has grown to be related to a further, more considerate strategy for observing the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not much to try and do, which can be precisely the stage. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of travel sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually makes a visit final lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals know how to love them thoroughly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s value an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel extra like living rooms.
If you have caught inside of a conversation with a person older, Permit it transpire. That’s where the most effective travel stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was intended to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner has a view. Each see has a breeze.
But more info it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take their time here, and inevitably, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You click here don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in the modern piece on slow travel — how places similar to this give another style of luxury. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often read more a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, however it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, observing some thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are A part of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His website page talks about honoring position and click here time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh concept. But it really’s one particular we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.